Likeability
by FluffleNuff
Summary: Temari's scared that she'll never get a boyfriend. Or the boyfriend that she wants. Shino just wants his girl to like him back. Join the Konoha 12 as all sorts of challenges are thrown at them.
1. Chapter 1

Temari observed her from the corner of her eye. She swept into the restaurant with such grace, such poise, her face practically radiating beauty. Her long, silky platinum blonde hair flowed past her shoulders, seemingly glowing. Ino had dusted her eyes lightly with lilac glitter and her lips sparkled with clear gloss. Temari also observed how the boys tried to subtly look at Ino. Choji's darting eyes, Lee's wide-eyed stare, Neji's longing gaze. But there was only one boy who mattered to her, and sadly, Shikamaru was leaning backwards, both hands behind his head, giving Ino a lazy grin. Temari's heart clenched. She wished that she was on the receiving end of that grin, but who was she kidding? Ino showed off practically her entire abdomen, her porcelain-smooth skin stretched perfectly across slightly toned abs. Her whole get-up, with the short skirt showing off her long legs and all the netting just SCREAMED for attention. All Temari wore was a simple, black Kimono that reached her ankles. Of course no one would take notice of her, not with Ino bouncing her assets all over the place.

"Temari? Are you still with us?" Temari's head snapped up at the sound of Sakura's voice. These meetings of the Konoha 12 really just depressed her. She was always invited along, being an ambassador made sure she was present, and it always made her upset. Looking at the other girls just reminded her of what she didn't have. Hinata's sweet, large eyes, Tenten's cute brown hair, Sakura's all-round figure and of course, Ino. Why couldn't she be more likeable?

"Temari!" She was lost in her thoughts again. "Sorry. Yeah?"

"I was just asking, how is Gaara?" There goes another one. Gaara, her own brother, had no shortage of fangirls. His flaming red hair and mysterious personality took the cake. Even her own brother, but not her. It was as if Kami was cruel enough to leave her out and bless her two brothers with likeability.

"He's alright, busy, alot of fangirls, as usual." She saw Sakura's hands clench as she mentioned the fangirls. Sakura loved to exert her power over guys, just for the fun of it. The only guy who had successfully resisted her was Gaara, and this caused her to fall desperately in love with him. Such drama. Tenten was with Neji, after a long journey of her dropping him clues about how much she liked him. Really, Neji was quite oblivious. Tenten marvelled at his genius at least fifty times a day. Temari shook her head slightly at Neji. Even with his girlfriend present, he didn't hide his eyes for Ino. Hinata had finally landed Naruto, who was loyally looking away from the other girls, keeping his eyes on only her. This naturally left only Ino up for grabs, and every guy was desperate to get her. Maybe not EVERY guy, but the guy that mattered. Shikamaru. Of course, Temari was also up for grabs, but knowing her and knowing what guys look for in girls, no one was desperate to get HER. Oh well.

"Why don't we play a game?" Sakura exclaimed.

"Yes Sakura! How about spin the bottle?" Ino shouted.

Sure, why don't you just announce it to the whole world? And who died and made you two queens? Just when Temari was about to cut in, Shino beat her to it.

"While some of you may feel joyful by brutally forcing one to kiss another, I do not approve of such pastimes. Why don't we indulge in a less illogical game?"

Temari smiled. Shino had an uncanny ability to make anything sound like he was discussing politics. Ino pouted. "Aww... come on Shino, pretty please?" Ino batted her eyelashes at Shino, her large blue eyes begging. While most guys would have melted, Shino stayed firm and shook his head.

"How about Truth or dare?" Sakura cut in. "It's just as fun as Spin the bottle but with more... uh... decency. Shino?"

Shino nodded curtly and there was a general sigh of satisfaction. Sakura immediately got a bottle and spun it enthusiastically. The bottle pointed at Neji after it came to a stop.

"Neji, truth or dare?" Ino asked, quickly taking over the lead after Sakura hesitated for only a moment.

"Truth."

"How much do you love Tenten?" Ino smirked. It was obvious that Neji was her new goal and that she wanted to snag him by the end of the reunion.

"I'll die for her." Tenten aww-ed and put her head on Neji's shoulder. However, although Neji had an arm around Tenten, his eyes locked with Ino's. The meaning was clear to Temari. _But I would do so much more for you._

__As the game drew on, Temari learnt that Lee didn't like anyone (YEAH RIGHT), Shino would rather go naked then kiss Ino (WHOOHOOO GO SHINO! Sadly, Ino looked really, really angry) and that Shikamaru would rather do a dare then answer who he likes. Temari was bummed at the last one. Surely at least TELL her who he liked instead of leaving her in suspense? Now she will keep guessing and getting depressed and a deep, subconcious part of her would keep hoping that it was her. Great. Just great.

"Temari, truth or dare?" Temari looked up at Ino's malicius smile.

"Truth."

"Who do you like?"

Temari swallowed nervously. She longed to look at Shikamaru and know what he was thinking, but she knew the slightest dart of her eyes would trigger all the suspicions of the Konoha 12. She plastered a smirk on her face. There was NO WAY that Ino's going to get under her skin.

"I like..." she paused leaning towards Ino, looking almost predatory. "Dares." She smirked again, leaned back, crossed her arms over her chest and raised an eyebrow.

Ino looked a little shocked by being shown up, but she quickly recovered. "Alright, go ask out that cute waiter over there."

Temari looked at the waiter. 'Cute' was an understatement. And now the whole Konoha 12 was going to see her get rejected. She sighed inwardly as she got up. Sure, make a fool out of the Suna ambassador.

* * *

"I know you like him."

Temari jumped. Shikamaru had just walked her home (because that was his job, not anything else), and they were laughing about Lee oogling at Ino and imagining Shino being naked. She always enjoyed her time with Shikamaru, but most of the time she couldn't tell if he did.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Shino."

He hardly moved, Temari wondered if he had fallen asleep. Hey, behind those dark glasses, who's to know?

"My insects read more then chakra signatures. They recognise brain patterns. I know you like him."

"So what if I do? And don't you dare tell anyone or I will kill you."

"Look, Temari, I may not look like much, but I can be valuable to you. I know alot of things others don't, and I can help you with Shikamaru."

Temari narrowed her eyes. "Why are you doing this?"

"I need your help too."

"You do?"

Yes, I..." It was the first time Temari ever saw Shino hesitate. "I like someone too."


	2. Chapter 2

"No way! Shino Aburamae? Likes someone? C'mon Shino! Spill it already!" Temari exclaimed, rejoicing in the obvious blush spreading across the stoic ninja's face.

"Firstly, you must swear that you will not tell anyone. Why? Because if you do, the whole of the Konoha 12 will find out that you like Shikamaru." He replied stonily, even though the reddening on his cheeks betrayed his cool and careful tones.

"Of course! Okay, so who is it?" Temari was practically jumping with excitement, she was very curious as to which kunoichi had stolen Shino's heart.

Shino looked down and mumbled something incoherent towards the ground. Temari smiled slightly. Shino was so cute when he was shy.

"Come on, Shino, how do you expect me to hear that? Tell me already!"

Shino gulped audibly and looked away. Clearing his throat, he finally got it out.

"Hinata. Ahem."

Temari wolf whistled. Shino was going after an attached woman! She laughed at his disdainful expression.

"Okay Shino, so what do you need my help for?"

Shino stared into space again, and Temari had to jab him in the ribs to make sure that he was alright.

"I need you to give me a makeover."

Temari started to laugh, imagining Shino dying his hair blonde and bouncing around in an orange jumpsuit screaming 'Believe it!'. Shino just regarded her calmly. When she was done laughing, there was an awkward silence settling on them. Finally, Shino spoke up.

"So would you help me?"

Temari sighed and shook her head. "Shino, if a girl likes you not because you are yourself, but some overenthusiastic person, you're never going to be happy."

Shino again stared into space unmoving for several moments. Temari was starting to get fed up.

"Oi, Shino!"

Shino kept his position and Temari sighed. Shino had a really weird but effective way of persuading people.

"Alright Shino. But I'm not making you into Naruto. Hinata must learn to love you for who you are."

Shino turned on her so suddenly that she fell backward onto her bottom. From her angle, the shadows that were cast on Shino's face (or his clothes and whatever little that's exposed) gave him a horrifying appearance. Temari's eyes widened as she started to scramble backward. Just as a scream was about to rip through Temari's lips, Shino backed away and stared at her in his placid way.

"Shino, what was that for?!" She wanted to scream again, but this time out of frustration. The Aburamae was really starting to freak her out.

"I was just trying to show you why I cannot be me. Hinata will never fall for me."

Temari sighed. He was just a big softie on the inside. "She will. Give her time." Shino made a non-commital sound and she threw up her hands in frustration.

"Fine, Shino! I'll just dye your hair blonde and buy you a jumpsuit."

Shino just turned on her and walked away. "Do what you must. Meet me in the Aburamae compound tomorrow at noon." And with that, he was gone.

Temari didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Instead, she sighed and walked off to the Leaf Village Mall. She had an outfit to plan.

**A/N: **This would be a complicated story, because I am trying to include all of the Konoha 12 in it, and their relationships. But the focus is mainly on Shino and Temari.


	3. Chapter 3

"Oi Shino! Open up!" Temari yelled, banging on the door of the Aburamae compound. The door creaked open, and cold dark glasses stared at her.

"Shino! What took you so lo-" Temari abruptly cut off when she noticed a beard adorning the other's face.

"Aburamae-sama! My apologies!" Shibi regarded Temari with the same indifferent stare that she had seen many times on Shino. Shibi continued to stare at her for several minutes before calling out to Shino.

"Shino, is this the girl you were talking about?"

Shino walked up to the door and nodded at her. "Yes Father, this is Temari."

Shibi stepped aside, letting Temari in, then called out to his son once again.

"Shino, you are old enough to act appropriately. Please be responsible."

A blush spread across Temari's cheeks as she realised what Shibi was implying. Shino, however, simply nodded and led Temari to his room.

* * *

Temari looked around Shino's room. The walls were a pleasant cream colour, the ceiling a pale yellow. A single Queen-sized bed took up most of the room, covered in black silky sheets. A wardrobe stood at the foot of the bed, a metallic silver colour. A small desk was positioned on the left of the bed, a window just above it. A door on the right side of the bed led to a private toilet. Temari smiled. Shino's room was like him. Simple and mysterious.

Temari opened the large bag that was slung on her arm, and pulled out the three outfits that she had picked out for him. Shino just eyed them without any further reaction. The first was a black jumpsuit that had army green on its sleeves. Temari hadn't liked this outfit, but Shino seemed psyched at the jumpsuit idea. The second was a simple black long sleeved shirt with army green pants. And lastly, a bright green spandex jumpsuit that Gai Sensei had passed to her. Shino looked at the tiny piece of cloth questioningly. "It's free size." Temari said, smiling. Without a word, Shino scooped up the three articles of clothing and disappeared into the bathroom, locking the door behind him.

Temari sat on his bed, wondering if Shino was going to model the outfits for her, or just tell her which one he liked the best and pay her for it. She waited and waited, starting to get bored. She got up from the bed and walked around, looking around for anything to entertain herself. Noticing a drawer under his desk, she sat down and opened it. A small black notebook sat in a corner, the rest was filled with mission papers. Temari took out the book and just removed the elastic binding it together when the bathroom door unlocked. She quickly put the book back, shut the drawer and jumped onto his bed with the speed of a Kunoichi. She watched as Shino exiting the bathroom wearing... ... His usual clothes.

"So, Shino, which one tickles your fancy?" She asked trying to look as if she hadn't been poking around in his private stuff. Shino regarded her coldly.

"You were about to read my journal." He said flatly, as if he couldn't believe her.

Temari just sat on his bed, stunned and cursing herself. What possessed her to do that? She bit her lip in shame as she studied Shino's expression.

"I don't like any of the clothes." he said, dumping the clothing onto his bed, next to Temari. "I feel too exposed."

Temari sighed. "Look, Shino, I'm sorry. I promise that I wouldn't read your journal, and I shouldn't have thought of it in the first place. But can you please try one set of clothes? I spent a long time choosing them, well, except the Gai Sensei magic suit. Please?"

Shino seemed to consider her proposal, then picked up the black shirt and pants, then again disappeared into the toilet. Temari made herself sit still on his bed, but Shino didn't take as long this time. Soon, he emerged from the toilet, and Temari gasped.

The black shirt clung slightly to his form, enough to show off his toned muscles, but not enough to be considered revealing. The army green pants brought out his goggles. (I'm sorry, this sentence is just so funny. Normally eyes are brought out, but Shino's not gonna remove his goggles in this fic.) But the most charming part about the outfit was the fact that Shino's emotions were clearly displayed.

Temari marveled at Shino's slight chewing of his bottom lip, showing his uncertainty about the outfit. When Shino saw her looking, his eyebrows furrowed lightly.

"Do I look that horrible?"

The voice was still the same, cool and emotionless. Temari smiled at him. "Nope, you look great."

And then came another surprise. Shino Aburamae smiled. He actually smiled. It wasn't the ear-to-ear grin that constantly decorated Naruto's face, nor even the smirk normally seen on Temari's. Heck, it wasn't even a smile, just the slightest upturn of the right corner of his mouth, but it was considered a whole lot of emotion compared to his normal, serious self.

"Shino, why do you wear clothes that cover yourself up when you look so good without them?" Temari asked, curious.

"Because I show too much emotion without them." He answered simply, to which Temari laughed.

"Sure, Shino, anyway, remember to keep your side of the bargain."

"What bargain?" Shino asked. If he had been wearing his original clothes, she would have thought that he had forgotten or that he had exploited her goodwill. But the smirk playing across his features was a clear indication of his teasing. Temari suddenly felt a rush of irritation. So all that time she thought that he was staring blankly into the horizon, he was actually laughing at her, or teasing her.

"Shino! You promised!" She protested, picking up a pillow and launching it at him (well of course he caught it before it could hit him).

"I did. Oh well. I'll help you tomorrow then." Again, Shino's voice was devoid of emotion, but he was suppressing an amused smile.

"Tomorrow? Why not today?" Temari asked. Upon seeing the reddening of his cheeks, she grinned.

"Kay, tomorrow it is then. Good luck with Hinata!" Winking, she exited his room, leaving him blushing harder than before.

Shino steeled himself. He would worry about Temari later. It was time to go get his girl.

**A/N:** Shino has emotion! Lol. I didn't expect this chapter to come up at his fast, but inspiration just hit me. Next chapter is gonna have Shino awkward subtle flirting. All the best, man! Anyway, please review if you deem this worthy!


	4. Chapter 4

Shino followed and observed Hinata (fine, stalked), until she was alone. Once he saw a chance, he dived in for the kill.

"Hinata." He said simply. Hinata smiled when she heard his voice, turning around, and stopping short. Her mouth was slightly agape as she took in long change of clothes. When she noticed the gentle smile on his face, her mouth practically dropped and hanged open.

"Sh-Shino?" Hinata called out, still not daring to believe that this... Emotional and handsome guy was the stoic Shino Aburamae. Shino smile as Hinata stuttered. She only stuttered when she was nervous or when she was around Naruto. Good sign.

"Have you had lunch?" Shino was only asking to experiment and to carry on the conversation. He knew that she hadn't had any lunch yet.

"N-not yet, Shino-kun. W-would you like to eat together?" She asked hesitantly. Shino's heart soared. He thought that it would be him asking her out for lunch, not the other way around.

Hinata's heart jumped slightly at the smile that reappeared on Shino's face.

"I'll like that." He stated simply.

* * *

"So, Sh-Shino-kun, what inspired the ch-change in you?" Hinata asked, trying to keep the blush off her face.

Shino blushed as well, and Hinata reveled in the fact that she could see it.

"Well... Uhh..." Hinata looked at him wide-eyed, prompting him to go on. It intrigued her that Shino had... emotions.

"Well, there is this girl that I like and I... I'm trying to impress her." Shino said uncertainly, looking away while trying to sneak a glance of her reaction.

Hinata felt her heart drop slightly. Somehow the thought of Shino liking someone else, not liking her, it didn't make her feel good.

"Oh? Who is it?" Hinata asked, her voice slightly harder than before.

Shino smiled to himself at the jealousy that was radiating off Hinata. This was going well!

Hinata looked up to see Shino's flaming red blush, and her heart sped up again. Shino had a sheepish grin on his face, and Hinata's smile returned, along with an awkward blush.

"Sh-Shino? Who is it?" A slight smile appeared on her face, and she had a very good idea of who the girl was.

Shino cleared his throat then mumbled something that Hinata didn't catch. She cocked her head to the side, and Shino finally took a deep breath.

"You."

It was barely audible, but Hinata's heart leaped in joy when he finally admitted it. But she had to bring herself down from cloud nine. She had a boyfriend! And she loved him, that's for sure. So what was Shino to her, exactly?

Shino waited for her response, his head facing the table but his eyes inclined towards Hinata.

"May I take your order?"

Shino felt like standing up and slamming the entire table into the waiter's face. Hinata was just about to respond!

"Two Miso Ramen." He said through his teeth, barely containing his irritation.

Hinata giggled softly, then closed her menu, handing it to the waiter. When the waiter left the table, Shino almost pulled him back, realising the awkwardness between him and Hinata.

Barely making eye contact with her, he racked his brain for any way of making her forget that he just confessed. Just as he was about to open his mouth, Hinata beat him to it.

"I like you too."

Shino's head shot up. No one ever returned his feelings, and he could not hold back the disbelieving grin spreading across his face.

"Wait... What about Naruto?" Shino asked, his smile dropping. Hinata's sighed and shook her head.

"Its... confusing right now. I-I need some time to sort it out."

Shino nodded. He understood being confused, Hinata put him in that situation almost every single day.

"Sure." He smiled again at her. "But this wouldn't be the last time I see you, right?"

Hinata shook her head, smirking slightly. The rest of the meal carried on in a happily awkward situation, consisting of lots of blushing and beaming faces.

* * *

Shino wanted to skip over to Temari's house, but he knew that it would probably creep her out, and everyone else out, and that his father would probably kill him. Still, he had to suppress the want to bounce around the whole village with exclamations of joy.

He knocked on Temari's door, and when she came to answer it, he held himself back from throwing his arms around her and laughing.

"Shino!" Temari grinned when she saw his elated face. "So I guess it went well?"

He nodded slowly. It was hard to kick his old habits. If he was still wearing his old gear, Temari would probably have not guessed how the day went. But Shino couldn't care less. Thanks to Temari's makeover, he finally knew that Hinata had feelings for him.

"Thank you for helping me with Hinata. Now I shall help you."

Temari smiled at him. "No problem! But how are you going to help me? Don't tell me you're going to give ME a makeover!"

Shino shook his head. He didn't know the first thing about makeovers.

"Shall I enter before someone overhears us and realises your crush on-"

"Please come in!" Temari hastily cut in, looking wildly from side to side.

Shino smirked, then stepped into Temari's apartment. The Suna ambassador's apartment was fairly small, yet it fulfilled all necessities, containing a kitchen, living room and bedroom(and of course a toilet). Although small, the house was not lacking in character. The walls had a gradient of lilac to violet, starting from the door to the edge of the bed room. There wasn't a sofa in front of the tv, just two bean bags, one purple and one green.

"Hmm... I wonder who this one is for." Shino said teasingly, gesturing to the green bean bag. Temari shoved him playfully then pushed the bean bag out of sight.

A peek in the kitchen revealed a mess, all the equipment were not properly kept and in complete disarray. The only neat part of the kitchen was the display of glass jars on the counter, all containing colourful jellybeans.

"Jellybeans?" Shino raised an eyebrow at Temari.

Temari laughed and opened up one of the jars, popping a jellybean into her mouth and offering the jar to Shino. Shino tentatively put the colourful sweet in his mouth, chewing slowly. The jellybean was delicious, tasting of sour blueberry, however, the taste soon diminished, leaving a semi-solid bland jelly in his mouth. The aftertaste made him want to eat more.

"These are addictive." He said while reaching out for another one. Temari sat down on her purple beanbag, the jar resting on her lap. When she realised that Shino didn't have a seat, she scrambled up to pull the green bean bag for him to sit on. When both Shinobi were comfortably seated, munching on the colourful treats, Temari finally spoke up.

"So, Shino. How are you going to help me?"

Shino held up his hand as he quickly swallowed the jellybeans in his mouth. "I can help you to find out if he returns our feelings."

"You can?" Temari looked both happy and shocked.

"I can read brain patterns, remember?" Shino stated.

Temari started to grin, then it slipped off. "What... what if he doesn't like me back?"

Shino shook his head. "Don't think about that. At least you would know who he likes. Isn't that better?"

Temari smiled grimly then nodded. "Okay, so what's the plan?"

"Find a chance to get Shikamaru by himself. I'll hide away and read his brain patterns. After a while, meet with me back at your place, we'll talk then." Shino spoke as if he was planning out a mission strategy.

Temari smiled, and they spent a little longer just eating jellybeans and teasing each other. Temari realised just how fun Shino was to tease. Soon, Shino had to leave, and Temari gave him a jar of jellybeans to enjoy at home, he seemed to be really fond of the treat.

* * *

That night, Shino was happier than he had been in a long time. He finally knew that the girl he liked liked him back, and he now had a tasty treat to enjoy as well.

_Life is good._ He thought happily as he prepared to turn in for the night.


	5. Chapter 5

"The plan is simple! Just go up and have a conversation with him, while I observe you two from a distance."

Temari bit her lip. "What should I say?"

"I don't know... Do I look like I am well-versed in conversing with the opposite sex?"

Temari laughed. "Okay, okay. Thanks Shino."

She skipped off to find Shikamaru, and Shino shook his head while smiling softly.

He soon spotted her again with Shikamaru, talking and laughing. Shino closed his eyes, focusing solely on Shikamaru's brain patterns. He smiled at the patterns that he was all too familiar with. He opened his eyes, and found himself face-to-face with Naruto.

"Whoah!" He jumped up and smoothed out his shirt, clearing his throat.

Naruto gasped when he looked in the direction that Shino was just looking at. "Wait... Shino... Temari?" He cocked an eyebrow at him and nudged him in the ribs. Shino spotted Hinata's furrowed eyebrows and felt his heart sink. This seemed to be a tricky situation.

"Haha, Shino. Some taste you've got there!" Naruto practically crowed, which no doubt caught the attention of Shikamaru.

"What taste?"

All eyes turned to Shino, who was trying to subtly burrow into the ground.

"Shino likes Temari." Naruto stated matter-of-factly, as if he knew anything.

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow, and Shino recognised a certain raging brain pattern. Jealousy.

"That's not true-" Shino started, but Naruto never let him finish.

"And just yesterday, I saw him go to Temari's apartment!" Two shocks were sent towards him, one from Shikamaru, who looked like he was about to wring Shino's neck. The other, from Hinata, who also looked like she was about to wring his neck.

"Umm, no... I..." Realising that he could not say anything without giving either Temari or himself away, he looked to the ground. He felt like the whole world was hanging on to their breath, waiting for his answer.

* * *

Temari took a deep breath. "He came over because I needed help."

"Oh yeah? And why was that?" Shikamaru asked, folding his arms, his mouth set in a straight line.

She paused for a second. This was it.

"He's helping me with this guy I like."

Shikamaru's face softened, and his hands dropped to his sides, one clenching the fabric of his pants firmly.

"I thought you told me everything? Why didn't you ask me for help?"

Temari looked away. She absolutely COULD NOT say it to his face.

"Because I like you."

She didn't dare to look at his reaction, and was startled when he spoke.

"Well, I like you too." Temari's eyes lit up considerably and she smiled. She looked over at Shino to double-check, and his small nod made her grin even more.

"Well... So since I like you, and you like me, would you like to go to dinner with me?" Shikamaru asked Temari awkwardly, scratching the back of his head. Temari beamed.

"I'd love that."

* * *

Shino smiled at the two of them as they started up conversation again and walked off. He turned around and raised a brow at Naruto.

"Heh heh... Sorry Shino, looks like I got a few details mixed up."

Shino nodded to him and walked off.

"Shino!" Hinata called and ran after him.

He smiled and spun around, spotting Naruto waiting for her in the distance.

"Yes, Hinata?"

She looked down, biting her lip. "It's not true right? You don't have any... f-feelings for Temari, right?"

She looked so nervous, so afraid that Shino shook his head lightly.

"Hinata... You're the only girl that I like."

She smiled, and seemingly satisfied with his answer, skipped off to find Naruto.

A shard of pain stabbed him in the heart. _Sadly, _he thought, _I don't seem to be the only guy **you** like._

**A/N: **Hey guys! I'm back from hiatus! So... Its been difficult getting on the com, but I finally did it. Hope you enjoyed this chapter, please review if you deem worthy! :D


	6. Chapter 6

"Tenten? What's wrong?" The strong willed kunoichi had collapsed on the ground, crying. "Tenten?"

Tenten picked up her head, eyes trying to focus on Temari.

"Neji... He..." She burst into another series of sobs and reached out her hands to Temari, as if asking for a hug. Temari had never seen her friend like this. Tenten, the practically indestructible weapon master in a broken down, sobbing mass. She sighed and pulled Tenten close to her, wrapping her in a hug.

"Shh... Shh... It's okay, Tenten, it's okay..." To say that she didn't know what was going on was a complete lie. And her thoughts were confirmed as she saw Neji and Ino stroll past, hand in hand. Thank goodness Tenten was too just crying to look up, SheShe would have made a big scene. Neji, however, made the mistake of pausing to observe Tenten, trying to keep his features neutral, but Temari could detect guilt and regret radiating off him as he observed his ex girlfriend. Tenten chose that exact moment to look up, and her eyes widened in horror when she saw Neji, then Ino, her gaze lingering on their interlocking hands.

"NEJI! HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO ME?! HOW COULD YOU BREAK UP WITH ME FOR... FOR..." Her momentary anger was gone, and she collapsed again into Temari's embrace, sobbing harder than before. Neji looked positively guilty, and his eyes locked with Temari's, sending a message. 'Im so sorry... What should I do?' Temari sent him a message of her own. 'GO AWAY AND DIE WHILE YOU'RE AT IT.' Ino, however, only looked amusedly at Tenten, rolling her eyes. It was as if this was just another dramatic show put on by another girl who had her boyfriend stolen. Temari felt anger rising within her, only to be put out by a tap on her shoulder.

"Hey Temari. Need any help?" Shikamaru smiled down at her, and she positively melted. From the corner of her eye, she saw Ino's expression change to a worried one... As hid she only cared about what Shikamaru thought of her, as if she was trying to win him over, as if... As if... She liked him. Temari shook that thought away. Shikamaru was her boyfriend now. He loved her, not anyone else. Then she was reminded of the sobbing ninja clinging on to her, how she must have once thought the same thing, but was proven terribly, terribly wrong.

She noticed Shikamaru still looking at her, and smiled. "Yeah, thanks Shikamaru... That'll be great." Temari placed one of Tenten's hands over her shoulder, and the other around Shikamaru, leading her back to Temari's apartment. Temari could practically feel Ino's gaze on her back, making all of the hairs on the back of her neck stand up.

* * *

"Thanks Temari..." Tenten had calmed down to hiccups, seated comfortably on Temari's beanbag chair. Temari smiled back at her.

"Want to talk about it?" She asked, genuinely concerned.

"It's just... I was on the phone with him, and he told me that... that... It's over. And I just... Couldn't take it." Her eyes looked dejected, lacking her fire, looking very much dead.

"Alright... Hey don't worry. Girls only night?" Temari asked, which made Tenten smile.

"Of course. Anytime."

Temari laughed and then glared at Shikamaru. He raised up his hands in surrender and walked towards the door. He then comically tried to hide in her shoe cabinet. Both Temari and Tenten burst out laughing, Temari hurling the green beanbag chair at him. He laughed as well, standing up and waving goodbye before exiting Temari's apartment.

"You're lucky, you know?" Tenten said, her voice a myriad of emotions, sadness, regret and longing.

"Forget him, kay, Tenten? Alright, what flavour?" Temari asked, walking towards the door. "I'll just pop downstairs and get a tub."

"Rocky Road, please." Tenten said, brightening up just a little.

"Alright, wait for me!" Temari laughed then exited, looking forward to spending the rest of the day just eating ice cream and watching comedy movies.

* * *

That night, however, Temari lay in bed, thinking, unable to go to sleep. Tenten's boyfriend was stolen so easily away from her... Would she fall to the same fate? After all, Ino could be eyeing her boyfriend. And she knew that he loved her, but any normal person will not be that stupid to choose boring Temari over charming, sensual Ino. She sighed. She knew that jealousy was a lack of trust, but she couldn't help it. Perhaps she should trust him more, after all, he IS her boyfriend... She smiled at the thought. Yes... Shikamaru's her boyfriend.


	7. Chapter 7

"Hinata."

Hinata smiled in greeting, and Shino smiled back. This was his third time out with Hinata, on a proper date, and as the saying goes, third time lucky. His heart was in his throat as he sat down, reaching for the menu. His other hand was stroking the velvety case of the small, square box in his hand. Hinata seemed oblivious and was looking intently at her menu, wondering what to order. He knew what he was going to get, the same thing he gets all the time. Miso Rame-

"Hey Sh-Shino, would you like to try this?" Hinata asked shyly, pointing at a picture on the menu, a bowl of ramen topped with angry-looking red chilli. The name stated: Volcano Ramen.

Shino looked at the menu thoughtfully. Chilli wasn't a problem for him. It was venturing out, trying a new thing and betraying that sense of normalcy that he was so accustomed to. His Pork Miso ramen was a comfortable thing to fall back on, but was it worth it to try something new? He furrowed his eyebrows slightly, but then looked up and saw Hinata's hopeful eyes watching him intently. Yes, he would break out of his comfort zone and wander the earth for her.

"Sounds great." He replied, smiling as Hinata called the waiter over to place the order. Shino took a deep breath. There's no going back now.

"Hey Hinata, I wanna give you somthing."

Hinata's eyes almost popped out of her head as she spotted the small black velvet box lying in starking contrast on Shino's pale hands. "Shino-kun!"

He smiled warmly at her, and she reached out to receive the box, opening it and revealing a delicate silver ring studded with a large, silver crystal.

"It's crystal now, but I hope that one day I can give you a diamond." Shino said, making Hinata blush at the implication. He took out the ring and slipped in onto her second finger. He wanted to put in on her fourth, but he was sure that it would probably creep her out.

"Shino... I don't know what to say..."

"This is a promise ring, Hinata. To remind you that no matter what happens, you would always hold my heart, and I would always be there for you."

Hinata's smile grew even wider, and Shino was ecstatic that her eyes were filled with love, love for him. He knew that Naruto never did this kind of things for her, but he's been Hinata's teammate long enough to know that these little things are what made her feel special.

"Thank you Shino. That's so very sweet of you."

Shino smiled. Hinata smiled back, but her face quickly turned into one of horror.

"Shino! Hide! It's Naruto!"

"We're not doing anything wrong, why should I hide?" Shino asked, confused.

"Shino! He spotted me! He's coming over! Please Shino... Please hide?"

Shino sighed. Naruto had to ruin the moment. But he wouldn't do anything to make Hinata upset. With a poof, he disappeared to the toilet at the back of the restaurant, leaving one of his bugs behind to access the situation.

"Hey Hinata!"

"N-Naruto-kun! What are you doing here?"

"Haha! What are YOU doing here? I thought you had team bonding with your squad?" The reply was cheerful.

"Y-yes..."

"Couldn't take it huh? I don't blame you. They can be quite a handful, huh?"

"Umm... Hai..."

"So you here alone? Want to have lunch together?"

The pair was interrupted when the waiter brought the food to their table. "Two Volcano Ramen!"

He placed a bowl in front of Naruto and another one in front of Hinata. "Enjoy!"

Naruto looked at the bowl. "Oh, so who are you here with?" Naruto asked again, but his voice was different, slightly guarded.

Hinata didn't know what to say, and Shino could see her struggling to come up with a reply. This was his turn to step in.

"Hello Naruto." He said coolly.

"Shino! Oh so it's you!" Naruto looked largely relieved. "Hey, let's all have lunch together then! Where's Kiba?"

"Out with Akamaru." Shino replied. "Yes, let's have lunch together."

The rest of the lunch was spent painfully as Shino watched Hinata feed Naruto his noodles and their small signs of flirting. A wave of hurt crashed over him when he saw that Hinata had removed his promise ring. It was a promise ring! It was not supposed to be removed! He thought sulkily, losing his appetite.

"I'll be off. See you two soon."

"Bye Shino!" Came the chorused reply, and another clenching of his heart when he saw Hinata's attention immediately turning back to Naruto. Could it be that he would lose his girl even before he gets her?


	8. Chapter 8

Temari chewed her jellybean, casting a sidelong glance at the ninja next to her. This time, it was hard to tell what he was thinking, even with so much of his face exposed.

"Hey. Shino. You okay?"

Shino had called her and asked if it was alright for him to pop over for a talk. But he wasn't talking.

"What..." He started, then twitched his mouth and kept quiet.

"Yeah?"

"What would you do if I said I like you?"

"WHAT?!" Temari practically screeched, knowing that if she wasn't firmly seated, she would have fallen.

Shino held up his hand. "One, that was just a what if question, two, it's sort of an imagine-you-were-hinata thing, and three, is it that hard to accept if, IF I like you?"

Temari averted her eyes and looked awkwardly at the ground.

"Well, I would be flattered, I guess. I mean, its difficult enough to squeeze emotion out from you, much less capture your heart, right?"

Shino groaned audibly and flopped onto his back. Temari stared at him. Is it even possible for an Aburamae to show that much emotion?

"Then can you tell me WHY she isn't FLATTERED? I have NO idea what's going on Temari!" He shot up angrily and started pacing around the room furiously. "I mean, one moment, she's all smitten and I think things are working out, then the next, here comes NARUTO! She just doesn't bother with me around Naruto! Who will?!" He practically shouted, then sat, deflated on his bean bag cushion.

Temari had no idea how to respond. Shino had probably just said the longest and maybe loudest sentence in his life. She felt like a psychiatrist, but a very hopeless one.

"Make her want you then." The words slipped out before she could think, but they seemed to do the trick. Shino slowly sat up straight, looking intently at her.

"What do you mean?"

Temari started to explain. "She probably thinks that you're at her disposal, you're totally into her, you'll never do anything to hurt her. Make her want you to love her. Make her uncertain whether you truly love her." Temari knew that her advice wasn't the best, but she cast the nagging voice aside. After all, what could go wrong?

"That could work. Should I pretend to like someone else?"

"That part is really up to you, Shino. Go with what you feel, I guess. Maybe just keep it open, like you're not really interested in her, or anyone, or maybe in everyone." She wasn't making sense, but Shino seemed to be making his own sense of what she was saying.

"Thanks Temari." He said, quickly flashing her one of his rare grins.

"Anytime, Shino." She said, returning his smile.

* * *

"Sh-Shino-kun!" Hinata called after him, and he heard her footsteps as she rushed up to catch up to him. He didn't slow his pace, but he didn't walk faster either.

"Shino-kun! You missed our lunch date!" She said after getting close enough to whisper.

He gave a non-commital grunt, and continued his pace. He felt her getting flustered, and smiled. She grabbed him roughly and pushed him down onto a park bench, seating herself squarely on his lap to hold him down. His eyes widened a little at the shy girl practically straddling him. _Whoah._

"Okay, Shino-kun. What is going on? If you truly like me, you'd tell me!"

He just smiled at her politely, and she grew more annoyed.

"Shino!"

"Yes, Hinata?"

"Why didn't you come to pick me up for lunch?"

Shino couldn't say it. He wouldn't be able to. Perhaps he should drop the act now. He sighed and ran his hands through his hair.

"It's hard, okay, Hinata? It's hard to love someone so much while knowing that that person doesn't return your feelings!"

"But I like you too, Shino-kun!"

"Like. You love Naruto. You should get up."

"I-"

"Goodbye, Hinata." He said politely as he pushed her off him gently and walked away.

* * *

It felt bad. He felt bad. But in a way, all he was doing is telling the truth. After all, it did hurt that Hinata didn't love him the way she loved Naruto. Yet there was something devastating about the way that he had to ignore the love of his life. He had sent one of his beetles onto Hinata while they were in that compromising position to judge her reaction. He hoped Temari was right.

"N-Naruto-kun!" He heard Hinata gasp.

_Wait, Naruto? What's he doing there?_

"Hinata, what is going on?"

Shino closed his eyes and saw Naruto sitting down next to Hinata on the bench.

"W-What do you mean N-Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked, clearly flustered.

"You're always disappearing for these 'team trainings' that strangely don't include Kiba, you've been hiding this ring from me," Naruto held up Shino's promise ring, "And I just overheard your conversation with _Shino Aburamae_." He spat out Shino's name. "So you tell me,Hinata, what _do_ I mean?"

"No, N-Naruto-kun, it's not-"

"Really, Hinata? Because I thought that being in a relationship meant that no one else matters in that way except your other half. I've stopped noticing other girls long ago. But apparently you haven't stopped noticing other guys."

Okay, it felt REALLY bad. But Shino was prepared to comfort Hinata and to give her whatever support she needed. She'll come to find that he'll turn out a better boyfriend than Naruto ever was.

"Shino Aburamae is nothing!"

_What?_ Shino froze, only hearing his heart pounding in his ears. Did Hinata really just say that? Without stuttering? And why isn't he 'Shino-kun' anymore?

Naruto turned around. "What?"

"Shino is nothing to me, N-Naruto-kun. I'm really sorry. He's just an overpossesive, self-absorbed, under-appreciating, stubborn, creepy bug ninja."

Every adjective was like another blow to his heart. _Hinata... Why?_

"Really Hinata? Are you sure that you do not have any feelings for him?"

"N-None." She stuttered, but only by a little. Shino felt worse at this fact. What was she doing? He knew that she liked him. So she was willing to hurt him so deeply for Naruto?

"I'm all for putting this behind us if you are. But you HAVE to be honest with me."

"I am, N-Naruto-kun. Shino Aburamae is nothing to me."

The pair held hands and walked off together, smiling, neither noticing the tiny beetle watching them, or the hidden bug ninja not too far away, sobbing his eyes out.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: **

**I'd like to thank the following people:**

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* * *

Shino sat dejectedly at the training grounds, staring into space as his teammates dueled in the grass. He no longer enjoyed team trainings, team bonding or even team lunch. All because of Hinata. He often thought about asking for a transfer of teams. Or asking them to transfer just Hinata away. Far far away. He knew that that was just wishful thinking though, Tsunade would never allow her best tracking team to be broken up over a, well, break up. If you could even call it that.

"Yo Shino! I've got to take a break! You take over!" Kiba shouted, then slumped onto the grass, panting. Shino got up reluctantly. Having to watch Hinata spar was bad enough. Having to spar WITH Hinata, now that was just downright cruel.

He sighed, then stood in front of Hinata, his hands tucked in his pockets. He made the mistake of looking at her. She had a gentle, encouraging smile on her face, as if she didn't rip out his heart by saying that he was nothing to her.

"You ready, Sh-Shino-kun?"

There she went again. That adorable, innocent stutter. Shino didn't want to spar with her. He knew that he would either be way too distracted or (with the amount of anger he felt building up within him) he would kill her. Better to let it end quickly, he thought. He nodded to invite her to attack.

"Hai-YAH!" She yelled as she lunged at him, hands outstretched to attack his chakra points. He just stayed still, willing his bugs not to come to his defence, leaving himself open to her gentle fist. When her hand came into contact with his chest, she pulled back, horrified, but not before it shut his heart's chakra point. The funny thing was, the pain from her apparently fatal blow was nothing as compared to the pain he already felt from his heart breaking.

"Sh-Shino-kun! Are you alright? I'm so sorry!" She cried, rushing towards him.

He forced all emotion out of his voice. "Oops, looks like I lost. Kiba, you're up."

Ignoring Kiba's groan of 'Already?!', Hinata rushed over to Shino.

"Shino-kun, you must let me heal you. It's the least I could do since I was the one who hurt you."

_In more ways than one_, he thought bitterly. "No Hinata, dont care about me. I know you don't. After all, I'm nothing to you, aren't I?"

Her eyes widened in realisation. Suddenly, she understood why Shino had been acting so weird lately.

"Sh-Shino-kun! It's not like that-!"

He cut in. "Ah, but you mustn't care about me, Hinata. After all, I am nothing but an overpossesive, self-absorbed, under-appreciating, stubborn, creepy bug ninja."

Hinata could only sit wide eyed as Shino walked away from the training grounds.

* * *

"Come on, just think about it, that's all I ask!" Shino sized up the pretty petite kunoichi next to him.

"There are many other possibilities, Sakura. Why me?" Shino asked, still undecided.

"Many other possibilities? Please, Shino. There's Lee. NO WAY. I am not going to subject myself to his youthful torture, not even for one night. Chouji? No thanks. He's nice and all, but greasy chips just don't appeal to me. Sai is too obnoxiously honest to pretend to be my boyfriend, Kiba is too attached to his dog... etc. Anyway, I just need a serious guy that can act well."

Shino thought it over. "What are we doing this for, again?"

"Tsk, Shino. If you're going to pretend to be my boyfriend, you have to listen to me. Gaara is joining us for a gathering tonight, and I HAVE to make him jealous. So you pretend to be my boyfriend just for tonight, alright?"

Shino bit his lip in consideration, a fact that did not go unnoticed by Sakura.

"Aww... Come on Shino, pretty please?" Sakura pouted as she sat herself on Shino's lap, snaking one hand around his neck and the other caressing his cheek.

Shino found it hard to swallow, but caught himself imagining a different girl doing that to him. Perhaps this facade could benefit him as well.

"Alright." He said, happy that his voice did not crack to give away his pounding heart.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Sakura exclaimed as she threw her other arm around him and kissed him squarely on the lips, leaving him a little bit dazed. Well dazed he must have been, for he did not notice the girl of his dreams turn the corner at the same time Sakura's lips landed on his. Nor did he notice the horrified expression on her face.

* * *

"What? Hahaha! What? OMG, Girl you did NOT just say that!" Temari rolled her eyes as Sakura and Ino dominated the conversation at the gathering... As usual. She wished that someone else would take charge.

"So. Gaara. What've you been up to, being in charge of the entire village and all?" Sakura asked Gaara, and Temari noted her tone. It wasn't her usual flirty tone, nor her I'm-so-deeply-in-love-with-Gaara tone. It was friendly, upbeat, well-meaning. Something was off.

"Well, as Kazekage, I'm really happy to be here with my friends." Gaara started and smiled faintly at the word. "But yeah... Life's been tough and all."

"Careful that you don't divulge too many secrets of our village." Temari teased lightly, only to be shot back with "Oh is that so? Aren't you more likely to be 'divulging' secrets, dating a Konoha ninja and all?"

Temari blushed deeply, and was surprised when Sakura didn't. Didn't Gaara's sentence spark a want in her? And she was even more surprised when she saw the way Sakura looked at Shino, with so much love and adoration.

_What?_ Temari couldn't believe her eyes. _Sakura and SHINO? What? No. No. NO._

"Yeah, we're dating." Sakura blushed and said in response to Lee's angry question. She then leaned over and gave Shino a light peck on the cheek. Temari caught Shino's tiny smile, reserved only for Sakura, as he slipped his arm over her shoulders and pulled her closer to him.

"Since when?" The words slipped out, and Temari felt a little horrified that she sounded so upset. She gave Shikamaru's hand a light squeeze to let him know not to jump to any conclusions. Still, she shot a meaningful look at Shino.

Shino returned her gaze without flinching, and gave her a small nod. 'I'll tell you later.'

Sakura may not have cared much about Gaara, but Gaara sure looked irked by her not paying attention to him! His eyes kept darting to the two of them, and when Sakura sat herself on Shino's lap to enable her more access to his lips, Gaara actually rolled his eyes at them.

_He isn't the only one who's upset._ Temari noted, looking at Hinata's hardened features as Sakura and Shino's kiss got a little too passionate for company.

_Now exactly what is going on?_ Temari thought, flustered. _You owe me an explanation, Shino Aburamae._


End file.
